Satani ignored him, her gaze on Scarlett, she seemed to take in the demon’s naked form. Under her gaze, Alex saw a different side to Scarlett. The demon’s shoulders dropped, as did her head. Her eyes now stared at the ground.
“Did you meet with the archangel?” Satani asked.
“Yes, mistress,” Scarlett said, still staring at the ground. “He will be here to visit you tomorrow morning.”
Satani nodded. “You may go now.”
“Thank you, mistress,” Scarlett said.
She passed Alex as she made her way down the stairs. He expected her to say something to him, probably threaten to kill him some way or other, but Scarlett didn’t even glance at him, which was really strange. He knew she was afraid of Satani, but he’d never seen her this… submissive. Something had changed between the two.
“Scarlett,” Satani called out as the demon made it to the staircase of darkness. As the demon looked back, the devil said, “You’re not a whore, are you?”
Scarlett’s brows furrowed. Her eyes met Alex’s. She was confused and didn’t know how to respond.
“Do you want to be fucked?” Satani asked.
“...I-” Scarlett stopped, her lips were parted slightly, as if she wanted to say more, but was afraid.
“Do you want Alex to fuck you?” Satani asked. “Do you want him to bend you over and drive his cock up your whore cunt?”
Scarlett shook her head quickly. “Please, no mistress,” she said softly.
“Then put some fucking clothes on,” Satani growled.
“Yes mistress,” Scarlett said quickly. Her eyes fell on the torn remains of her clothing. She rushed over and collecting them in her hands, she darted down the stairs and disappeared from sight.
With her gone, Satani now turned her eyes onto Alex. He felt a chill rising up his spine. This woman before him might look like a goddess, but she was the devil, and she was dangerous. His sword still in hand, he stared at her warily, and at the same time, he felt for the warmth inside him that came with Lucifer, the warmth that gave him super strength and energy.
Was it going to be enough to stop the devil were she to attack?
“You’re in trouble,” Satani said to him.
Chapter 10
This was it. The moment he’d been dreading, or hoping for, Alex wasn’t sure. He swallowed nervously and felt for that surge of heat within his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was there. The warmth moved down his body, down his arm and into the longsword. The dull grey blade changed to a reddish colour, similar to the colour steel takes when it is being forged in the fires of a smithy.
The change in colour did not escape Satani’s notice. The corners of her lips twitched as her eyes sparkled. “Are you going to fight me, Alex?”
“Only if you start first,” he responded.
Satani stepped around the settee and walked towards him. Despite probably not intending to, she looked damn sultry. “And do you think you can defeat me, Alex?”
“Depends,” Alex said. He raised his sword in front of him and pointed it at the devil as she continued to slowly walk towards him. “Just out of curiosity, how much tougher are you than your brother?”
Satani’s lips now spread into a smile. She didn’t seem at all surprised by the question. “Well, I did imprison him,” she said. “So, I guess we have that in common.”
Yup, she definitely knew what he’d done. But she didn’t seem angry, which Alex supposed made sense. He’d stopped Satan from coming out. If her devil older brother escaped, it would not be good for her considering she was the one that put him away.
Satani kept walking towards him until her chest came up against the sharp pointy end of his sword.
“You might have managed to throw Satan back into the pit he crawled out from, but he was in a severely weakened state when you did it. I threw him in when he was in his prime,” she said, her eyes stared at him. Cold eyes that sent another shiver down his back. “You really think you can defeat me?”
Alex had his sword pointed at her chest. The pointy end was only inches away from her chest. All he had to do was drive the sword forward. Could it be that easy? His sword was flaming red now. Inside his head, Lucifer was silent, but Alex felt the presence, felt Lucifer egging him on to drive the sword forward and into the devil’s chest.
This was the woman that had ruined his life. She came to his father in his moment of weakness and offered him a way out. Except, it wasn’t a way out. She offered him a life of drink, drugs and prostitutes. A life of escapism when he should have been focused on looking after his son.
Satani ruined the relationship between father and son. And she did it by trading his soul for the privilege.
Finally, no longer satisfied about silently egging him on, Lucifer shouted in his head. “Kill her! Drive the sword into her chest!”
Part of Alex wanted to do it. The other part of him, he assumed was under some sort of compulsion, because it sort of didn’t want to kill her. Satani could use compulsion. She’d done it to him before. He’d lain on a Chowki in the room to their left and willing allowed Satani to rip his soul out. But now, he figured, with Lucifer inside him, he was protected from severe compulsion.
It was in balance. He wanted to drive the sword into her chest, and at the same time, he didn’t. There was also a part of him that worried even if he did push the handle forward, it wouldn’t kill the devil. Satani wouldn’t put her life in danger like this.
“Why the hesitancy?” Lucifer asked. “She’s the devil. Kill her!”
“Why do you want her dead?” Alex asked. There was silence in his head, but Alex could tell it was because Lucifer was confused by the question. So, he decided to elaborate. “She stopped Satan and made peace with the angels. That was good for humanity, right?”
There was more silence in his head as Lucifer mulled it over. For Alex, the balance began to tip in favour of not stabbing the devil. Things could be a lot worse without Satani around.
“Fine,” Lucifer grumbled. “Let’s not kill her… for now.”
Alex could work with that. He lowered his sword, then placed it in the sheath strapped to his back. Satani continued to stare at him with those eyes., The coldness was there, but so was something else.
She turned suddenly and began to walk away. Her satin dress left her back uncovered but hugged her curvy bottom.
“Are you going to follow after me, or just stand there and stare at my ass?” Satani asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Yeah, um… right,” Alex mumbled as he hastened to follow after her.
The devil walked towards the doors to the left. Alex had been in one of those rooms. He had bad memories of it. He was beginning to suspect Satani and wonder if he’d made the wrong decision in not stabbing her in the chest when they walked past the door that led into the room with the chowki and entered the one directly opposite the staircase he had walked up.
It opened up to a room larger than the rest of the floor. To the left were maroon coloured leather settees. Past it was a personal library, not as big as the one outside. On the opposite side was a kitchen. The tiling was dark red, like blood that had spilled and hardened. Beside it were rows of shelving stacked with wine bottles. Past that, at the far end was a large four-poster bed made of a dark mahogany wood. Beside it, attached to tenterhooks from the wall was Satani’s personal armoury. The various weapons were all made of a black metal. On the far end was a large pit from which ember-like light emerged.
Alex pointed at the pit. “What the hell is that?”
Satani grinned. “Hell, actually.”
Alex didn’t get to ask the natural follow up question to her response, which would have been ‘Say what now?’ because in that moment, a demon appeared. She stood a few feet away from Satani with her head bowed.
The demon had light blue skin and black hair that came down to her waist. She was completely naked, save for the large collar around her neck. It was attached to a chain that was connected to the ma
nacles around her wrists and ankles. She had a number of piercings too. A large nose ring, both nipples pierced with large rings, there were more on her pussy.
“Do you want anything to drink,” Satani asked conversationally.
Alex managed to look away from the demon to see Satani sitting on the maroon leather settee. He shook his head numbly, his eyes moved back to the demon and the chains and manacles that restricted her movement.
“Bring us wine,” Satani said, ignoring his desire to not drink anything.
The demon bowed her head, then hurried away as best she could with the restrictions that bound her movement. She did it well. Deftly. She was either a quick learner, or she’d had a lot of time to learn. She returned quickly with two silver goblets. Alex took his and offered polite thanks. Satani took hers, then with a wave of the hand, dismissed the demon.
When she was out of earshot, Alex asked. “What’s her story?”
“She’s my servant,” Satani responded.
“Right,” Alex nodded. “And the manacles are just part of the uniform. I like it. It’s very evil. Goes with your persona.”
If it were supposed to insult Satani, it did the opposite. She gave him one of those smiles. The ones that sent chills down his back. “Many thousands of years ago, her family did something to annoy me. Now, every ten years, they send me a new daughter to be my servant as a reminder of their place in hell.”
“They did something thousands of years ago and you’re still pissed?” Alex asked, eyes wide.
“She’s an evil bitch. We should have killed her when we had the chance,” Lucifer said.
“Yes. it’s a warning to others to know their place. Which brings me to my next point, Alex. Your place, where is it?”
“Excuse me?” Alex asked, confused.
“When you held the sword to my chest, you were tempted to drive it forward,” Satani told him. “You were considering killing me,” she said as she took a sip of her drink. “You thought you held my life in your hands. Do you know what that means, Alex?”
“That’s a trick question if there ever was one,” Lucifer said.
“Yup,” Alex agreed.
Based on that, Alex decided not to answer the question.
“Drink,” Satani told him.
“Is it poisoned?” Alex asked.
Satani’s red eyes bore into him. Again, they sent chills down his back. Alex decided poison wasn’t really Satani’s style. If she wanted to kill him, she’d fight him to the death and probably enjoy the challenge. He took a sip of the red wine. It wasn’t bad, actually.
“Your place, Alex,” Satani said. “Where do you think it is?”
Alex took another sip of his drink and shrugged.
“It is beneath me,” she told him.
Alex burst out laughing. “Is this a booty call?”
Anger flashed in Satani’s eyes. She lashed out at him suddenly. A flaming whip came out of nowhere. It struck the goblet in his hand and sliced through it. As quickly as the whip appeared, it also vanished. Satani remained seated in her chair, having barely moved. Alex held the remaining base of the goblet. The cup was on the ground. The wine was spilt on his jeans.
“That was kinda cool,” Lucifer said.
“Don’t get ideas above your station, Alex. You might have Lucifer inside you, but he lost the war even at his strongest. And Satan? Him at his weakest and me at my strongest,” she leaned in, “there is a huge difference. If you ever think of crossing me, if you ever think above your station,” she nodded at the cup in his hand, “It’ll be your neck.”
“Definitely should have killed her when we had the chance,” Lucifer said. “Also, the whore is wrong. I didn’t lose the war. I was backstabbed. Literally.”
“What do you want?” Alex asked, frowning. She couldn’t have called him here to demonstrate her power.
“You’ve caused a problem, Alex. You’ve created trouble for me. Now, you’re going to sort it out.”
Alex raised both his hands. “Look, I didn’t kill the angel, okay. Sure, I beat one up a while back, but I swear, I didn’t kill any angels.”
Satani’s brows furrowed. “That was not the trouble I was referring to,” she said pointedly.
“Oh, cool,” Alex said. He flashed her a smile. “So, uh… what’s up.”
Satani took another sip of her drink, her eyes narrowed. “You killed Jamie Azarath, after I specifically told you not to.”
“He was working against you to free Satan. Remember your older brother? You know, the more famous devil?” Alex asked. “He actually broke out you know. We had a chat. Here’s a surprise. You came up. Satan wasn’t a big fan of yours, cuz you know, you locked him up?” Alex raised the base of the goblet to his lips, then realised Satani had sliced the cup off. Shame, he’d liked the wine. “I did you a favour.”
“You’re as stupid as you are handsome,” Satani said with a sigh.
“Uh, thanks?” Alex muttered, wondering what her problem was, aside from you know, being the devil.
Satani told him what her problem was. It turned out she knew all about Jamie and his little plans. She also knew about the rumours of God. Apparently, he wasn’t as strong as he used to be. Satani’s plan was to sit it out and let Jamie free Satan. If the rumours were right and her older brother was able to destroy God, then fantastic. If the rumours were wrong and God wasn’t weakened, then if anyone could destroy Satan for good, it would be God. Either way, of the two thorns, one would be out of her way.
But now, things had taken a turn for the worse. Satan was back in his pit, which wasn’t the worst thing. It reverted the situation back to the status quo. Except, Jamie’s death had caused problems in hell. His family were on the warpath. They blamed Satani. It was one of her Demon Hunters that had killed him. They didn’t care that he was betraying Satani. They wanted vengeance.
Back on earth, aa demon had killed an angel. The tension between the two species was on a knife edge. If Satani didn’t get to grips with the problem, there would be another war with the angels.
“That… that is a bit of a pickle,” Alex said.
“Yes, Alex, that is a bit of a pickle,” Satani said coldly. “You’re going to solve the problem you started,” she told him. “You’re going to go to hell and put down the Azarath family rebellion.”
Chapter 11
Alex stared down at the base of the goblet still in his hand. He really wished the cup was there, filled with wine. The demon girl that had brought it to him was by the library, a feather duster in hand, she busied herself with it. She’d got a rough deal. Ten years of servitude for crimes committed by an ancestor. And having to do it in chains, manacles, and the piercings? Satani was one to hold a grudge for eternity.
Alex looked up from the sliced base. “Did I hear right?”
Satani nodded.
“You want me to go down to hell and stop a rebellion?” he asked.
“Something like that,” Satani said.
“Like, a full-blown rebellion? Like, there will be demon armies and… stuff?”
“You won’t be alone, Alex,” Satani said. “You’ll have my loyal demons supporting you.”
“So, like, I’m going to lead an army into war, like a general?”
Satani rolled her eyes. “If that helps you, sure. But I think you’ll be able to play a more specific role in the war.”
A more specific role? “Like what?” Alex asked suspiciously.
“I’m sure Keira will find a use for you,” Satani said. “You’re a pain in the ass, Alex. You know the purpose of Demon Hunters? To look pretty and be there for my amusement. Do whatever the fuck you want in your own time, as long as you followed the rules, I couldn’t care less. Except, you couldn’t do that, could you? You just had to be a big pain in the backside. You’re going to solve my little problem in hell and you’re also going to stay away while I deal with this angel murdering business.”
Alex watched Satani carefully. This wasn’t the devil he knew, the one t
hat was always so damned scary and frightening, but calm and confident. Right now, she was snappy and on edge, visibly rattled.
“I need someone,” she paused and watched Alex with wary eyes. “I need someone with a little… talent on the battlefield. We have a plan to deal with the rebels. Before every battle, we can offer a champion to duel their finest. If you win, you could end the battle within minutes.”
“I would have sent Scarlett down, but I don’t know if she can be trusted at the moment. She knew Jamie was planning to free Satan, but only told me after I asked. She also knew about Lucifer being inside you. Again, she only mentioned it after I wondered how you managed to throw Satan back into the pit.”
What had happened earlier when Satani had snapped at Scarlett and asked if the demon was a whore suddenly made sense now. Alex almost felt sympathy for the devil. Trouble in hell, trouble on earth, and she couldn’t trust her closest demon. It wasn’t an enviable position.
He almost felt sorry for the devil. But then he remembered she was the devil that stole his soul. Still, it was about choosing the lesser of two evils at the moment. Satani staying in power meant keeping the status quo, which whilst not perfect, was better than the alternative.
Alex climbed to his feet. “So, how do I get to hell?” he asked.
Satani also rose to her feet. Standing at five feet eight, Satani was an attractive height for a human woman. She wasn’t as tall as Scarlett or the demon receptionist on the hundredth floor. She was shorter than Karen and Veronica and pretty much all the other female Demon Hunters.
But she was still quite possibly the sexiest woman ever. She had presence and power. He could feel the latter radiating from her. Satani placed a hand on his bare chest. That hand then moved down until it came to his jeans. She dug her fingers in between the waistband, then turning, she led him down the room and towards the pit.
It was about ten meters wide. The edges off the pit were red and covered in burning hot lava that spouted out steam and fiery heat. But the centre of the pit was pitch black. The light from the lava did not illuminate the centre at all. It reminded him of the stairs that led up to Satani’s quarters.
The Devil's Apprentice: Book 2: Descent to Hell Page 7